I can second that. That's common engineering "slang" used in polite circles, with no harm intended. It refers to taking an elegant solution to a technical problem, and dumbing it down to an inelegant solution. Sometimes it's done for practical reasons, sometimes not.
Nat -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bill Hooper Sent: Monday, 2004 April 05 21:25 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:29451] Re: USMA digest 1573 Gavin, You're comment in a recent post stated: > I notice that you often use inflammatory language (such as your use of > the > word "bastardizing") directed to anyone (such as myself and Pat > Naughtin) and Bill Potts was kind enough to come to my "defense". Actually no defense was necessary since there is nothing wrong with what I wrote. My dictionary defines "bastardize" to mean "lowering the value" of something. It was in that sense that I referred to using our "high class" SI prefixes with other, "low class" units that are not SI. That lowers the apparent quality of the SI units by combining them with something of lower quality. Yes, I understand that "bastard" also means the offspring of an unwed father and mother. Actually I think the imagery of "putting together two things that don't belong together" fits the mixing of SI prefixes with non-SI units as well as it fits the unwed couple. (No criticism of unwed couples intended either.) And in any case, calling the mixing of SI prefixes with non-SI units "bastardizing" was not "directed" you, it was directed against the process. Sorry if I used a term that you were unfamiliar with and which you felt was inflammatory. (And I hope you are mistaken in your belief that I "often use inflammatory language". I certainly do not intend to.) People will continue to use SI prefixes for other purposes, and maybe that is even beneficial, since it gets the SI prefixes some exposure to our non-metric population. But I still think it should be officially frowned upon. Regards, Bill Hooper Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA ======================== SIMPLIFICATION begins with SI ========================
